


Out of the closet, into the Bonfire.

by DearLadyDisdain



Category: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-19
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-13 19:35:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2162568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DearLadyDisdain/pseuds/DearLadyDisdain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I hate summaries, I'm not good at them - bear with me -  Party time, someone gets busted in the broom closet, Hodges offers a solution, Bon Fire time! and then there's a bit of a surprise.</p>
<p>Just go with it. ;)</p>
<p>Oh, and CSI isn't mine, blah blah blah, I need more sleep than what I'm getting lately.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Out of the closet, into the Bonfire.

Mandy came up to the little group around the kitchen counter giggling. “Mandy, sup?” Emma Lee asked, wondering at the smirk on her face.

“Oh, it’s now officially a party.” Mandy said and laughed, looking around. “I thought it was a party when I showed up.” Greg said and wiggled his eyebrows.

“You live here, idiot.” Emy said and elbowed him. “I know, so party all the time, party all the time party all the tiiiiiimmmmmeee.” he sang and danced around to their amusement.

“What I meant was, someone’s getting hot and heavy in your broom closet - party on.” Mandy said and they all laughed. 

“Who?!” Emy said and looked around, not able to pin point who was missing. She looked to Hodges who just grinned and shrugged, “I’m not in lab mode, you’re on your own, Spooky.” 

Emy laughed and grabbed Mandy’s hand, “Well, then, let’s find out!” she said and they all followed, trying to laugh at the growing crowed with them as they went down the hall “Shhing” each other.

“I wish Eric wouldn’t have gone on that beer run, he would love this!” Emy whispered and covered her mouth.

Greg and Hodges both looked to each other at the same time, lightbulbs going off, and both reaching to block her from opening the door. 

“Let’s wait for him then!” Greg said and tried to get past her. “Yeah, maybe not a good idea right now...” David said and tried to get by on the other side.

Emy just laughed and said, “His loss!” and pulled the door open. The laughing stopped as soon as they saw who it was. 

“Oh shit.” came a voice from the back and the group quickly dissipated into other parts of the house, leaving Greg, David, Mandy and Emma Lee. 

“Emma, babe...I can explain.” Eric said and tried to untangle himself from the girl in the closet with him.

“Oh, this outta be good.” Emy said and leaned on the door frame. Eric looked at the few people left around her and gulped. 

“I was going to get more beer and, and uh...Leia here asked if she could get a ride cause she’d drank too much, but she said she had to get her coat and she couldn’t remember what closet she put it in...” Eric stammered out while they just stared at him.

“Leia? My name’s Nicole and I didn’t even drive here. You gave me the address when we met at the store yesterday around the corner.” the girl said and looked at him confused.

Greg’s jaw just dropped and David put a hand to his head and shook it. Mandy, snorted and then covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

“What’s going on? Everyone’s bailing on the party.” Nick said as he came in and set some bags down on the counter. He looked at them, took in the scene and then looked at Eric and frowned. The frown quickly melting into a glare.

“Wait a minute...are you seeing someone?” Nicole said and then slapped Eric, “Jerk!” She went past them and then turned back and looked at Emma Lee. “I’m really sorry...I didn’t know.” she said and then looked to Eric, “And by the way, I wasn’t the only one he was hitting on in the store, either.” She glared at him and then left.

“Nicky, would you please show Eric the door.” Emy said and stepped back. Nick grinned and said, “Gladly.” A large hand with a large college ring set down on Eric’s shoulder and steered him towards the door. 

“Emy...babe, I’m sorry...” was all they heard as he was shoved out the door with Nick and Greg right behind him.

“I hope he’s not planning on driving.” Brass said, suddenly appearing in the doorway, “His car’s getting towed, Mitch is out there booting it right now. And it’s Charlie’s, you know their rep, who knows where it’ll wind up.” 

He raised his scotch to Emma Lee with a little wink and she half smiled in return. “Thanks, Pops.” she mouthed and he nodded and followed Nick and Greg.

Mandy followed leaving just Emy and David.

“Shit....now I’m gonna think of that asshole everytime I go get the broom.” Emy said and had to laugh a little. David smirked and leaned against the other side of the door, looking in.

“You could redecorate.” he said and she looked at him as if to say, “WTF?” “No really,” he said and pointed back to the closet they were both standing in the door of, “Some paint - something bright and cheery, of course. A couple of buckets in co-ordinating colors, a throw pillow or two back there in the corner. It’d be lovely.”

She turned him with a completely blank look on her face. “Or you could go minimalist. Just whites and direct lighting. Maybe a bit of modern art on the door.” he said and tilted his head as if he were trying to see it.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and his mouth twitched and that’s all it took. Emy burst out laughing and as soon as she did, so did he.

When they finally caught their breath she said, “Still gonna think of the jerk when I open the door, but at least now I’ll giggle, too.”

David frowned and then smiled, reached in and grabbed a handful of stuff - broom, cleaning bucket, mop, and turned to the patio door.

“What the hell?” Emy said and laughed. Nicky and Greg came in, with Nick noticeably flexing his hand. David looked at them and said, “Empty it...all of it. What can’t be burned throw in the trash.” He went past them out into the yard and back towards the fire pit.

Greg looked at Nick, who was grinning, and then turned to everyone else that had come back in with them. “You heard Hodges, gut it!” he said and laughed, grabbing for the the first thing he could touch in the closet.

“I’ll get the matches!” Mandy sang and danced into the living room. “Bonfire!!!! Yay!!!” Archie replied and followed her.

“If you would do the honors.” David said a little while later and handed Emma Lee the box of matches. She looked up at him and smiled. She felt like crying, but not over Eric the jerk, but at what was happening around her.

Emy lit a match and tossed it onto the pile, watching it burst into flames, Greg had gotten a little carried away with the lighter fluid, and everyone cheered.

She felt two arms wrap around her and pull her back against a strong chest and into a tight hug. She leaned into it and sighed, “Thank you, Brain.” She felt a kiss to her head and then heard, “Anytime, Spooky. I got your back.”

“Stay tonight? Fall asleep watching bad movies?” she said and he nodded into her hair. “Of course.” he said and gave her a squeeze, “And tomorrow, pancakes at Franks and then a trip to the hardware store.” She just laughed and rested against him.

Nick nudged Greg and tilted his head across the fire at them. Greg looked and sighed. “They’ve gotten comfortable.” he said quietly. “How so?” Nick asked.

“Even when Eric was in the picture, he wasn’t really a threat and Hodges knew it. They both know no ones gonna come between them and they’re safe how they are - together but not together. And they’ll stay just like this until something shakes one of them up enough to do something to risk it.” Greg said and frowned.

“Something like what?” Nick asked. Greg could have sworn he felt his Nana tugging on his ear and his stomach twisted a little. “Hopefully nothing to serious.” he said and looked back at the fire.

****

David half woke up to a DVD menu playing repeatedly on the TV. He blinked a few times and then noticed he was half laying down and Emy was snuggled up on him deep asleep. He found the remote, shut off the TV and pulled her closer, smiling, and tried to go back to sleep.

Instead he frowned when he could hear raised voices and only woke up more. It sounded like Nick and Greg, they weren’t quite yelling, but their voices were raised. After listening for a couple minutes he could make out another voice as well. 

He carefully got up, laying Emy down and pulling a quilt over her. She woke up a bit and half sat up, her hair covering her face. “Brain?” she mumbled and he knelt down next to her and smiled. “Shhh, go back to sleep - just getting some water.” he said and she laid back down. He stroked her hair back and she slid back to sleep instantly.

“Just let me talk to her...I ain’t gonna do nothing.” David heard as he went through the living room to the front door. 

“Eric, she’s asleep. Go home and sleep it off and then don’t come back, okay - not hard directions to follow.” Greg said and David could hear him roll his eyes.

“I can’t go home!” Eric yelled at them, pulling out his phone and holding it up to show a map with a little dot on it, “MY CAR IS IN THE MIDDLE OF AREA 51! I’ll get shot if I go try and get it!” 

David covered his mouth and turned away to laugh.

“Good thing you got GPS on it, or you wouldn’t know where it was at all.” Nick said and he heard Greg cough/laugh, “Go home. Don’t make me call in on you.”

“Call in on me?” Eric said and stepped into the light. David could see one hell of of black eye on him and smiled. “I should call in on you, cowboy.” he said and Nick just laughed.

“Go ahead, find someone willing to take your drunk ass statement...hold on, I’ll let you use my phone to call, how’s that?” Nick said, but David could hear the tenseness in his voice. He had his hand on the door to go out and try and diffuse things when he heard Eric start to go off and he paused for barely a second.

“Stupid bitch, I should’ve known...something not right about her shacking up with two other cops. Maybe you’re just pissed cause she got bored with the two of you and had to come find someone like me. She work her way through the rest of the lab, too?” 

Even though he’d been inside the house, and behind them by a couple of yards, David got to him first. All Nick and Greg saw was a blur between them and then Eric going down on the sidewalk with David throwing punches all the way down.

“Hodges!” Nick yelled and he grabbed his arm and tried to pull him away, getting elbowed in the face for his trying. Then he was gone and Greg grabbed him around the arms and yank pack, pulling him back to the porch. “David! David stop!!!” he yelled and held onto him.

He stopped to catch his breath and shook his head a bit, putting his hand to his face where he felt it stinging. He looked up a little and saw Eric laying on the sidewalk curled into a ball. He looked down and saw a couple of his own knuckles were broken open and bleeding and his t-shirt was torn and had blood splatter on it.

“Holy shit, Hodges...where the hell you been hiding that?” Nick said, carefully getting between them.

They heard a groan and “Fuck me...” come from the lump on the sidewalk and Nick had to fight back a grin. 

“You heard him,” David said, catching his breath, “He called Emy a....insinuated that MY Spooky was some kind of...” Nick watched as David’s face tensed up again. “Grab’em, G!” he said just in time for Greg to pull him back up on the porch.

It was then that a patrol car pulled up and Officer Mitchell got out and came up to them. He shined a flashlight down on Eric, who tried to wave it away before rolling over and throwing up in the grass.

“Him again? Nick, I thought you only hit him once?” he said and looked up. Nick put his hands up as if to say, “Wasn’t me!” and then pointed at the porch.

“Greg?” he said, surprised and Greg just shook his head and tried not to laugh. He shined his light on David’s face and noticed the scrape on his cheek and the messed up hair and torn t-shirt.

“You’re shittin’ me. Hodges?!” Mitchell said and grinned. “Why is everyone so damn surprised?” David finally said and dropped down to sit on the step.

“Okay, what do we do with him?” Mitchell asked and pulled Eric up, handcuffing him. Nick stepped over and leaned in and said, “You hear me?” Eric nodded and looked over at him.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna go spend the night in the tank and you’re not gonna remember what happened tomorrow. IF you’re good, maybe we can get someone to bring your car back. You don’t come back here, you don’t contact Emma Lee in any way, shape or form. You can do that or I can take David here, hold him down while G pours half a bottle of what ever’s handy down his throat and he goes in for the night with ya. Now what’s it gonna be?” Nick said and Eric looked past him at David and then backed up a few steps.

“That’s what I thought.” Nick said and nodded. “Okay, then. Should’a just saved the trouble and dragged you in earlier.” Mitchell said and took Eric to the car. They waved as he drove off.

“Now, about the Hulk here.” Nick said and turned back to David and Greg. “Not a word.” David said and shook his head, which was in his hands.

Greg turned and started beating his own head against the railing post. “Can I hit him? I swear, I’ll get the same spot no one will notice!” Greg said and turned back to him.

“Guys?” they heard from in the house and they all froze. David looked between Nick and Greg and looked so terrified when he mouthed “Please...don’t.” that they quick gave each other a look and then jumped into action.

“Shirt! Gimme your shirt!” Greg whispered and helped him pull off the bloodied and torn thing, tossing it into the bushes. Nick looked around and grabbed up a football from the grass and held it up. Greg nodded and pulled David off the porch and onto the lawn, then yanked his shirt off as well.

“Down!” he said and then pulled David into the grass, next thing he knew Nick had landed on top of them and all the wind went out of him.

Nick got up and held up his arms, football in hand. “Two of ya! Two of ya and you still can’t take me! Ha!” he said and did a little dance.

“It’s 3 am, jock vs. geeks, really?” came Emy’s voice from the porch. “You wanna join in, I got room on the shirts team.” Nick said and tossed her the football. She caught it easily and shook her head.

“Did I see lights?” she asked and tossed it back. “Just Mitch stoppin by to say hey.” Greg said and got up. He held out a hand and pulled David up, too.

“What the fuck...Damnit, Nicky!” Emy said and went over to him, “Brain, what the hell did they do to you?” She looked over the scratches on his face and shook her head.

“They? What’s this they shit? I was on his team.” Greg said. She just gave him a look and then grabbed David’s hand and pulled him behind her into the house. On the way by they both noticed a look of intense relief and gratitude on his face.

“This is why we can’t have nice things!” she yelled back and they just looked at each other and started laughing.

“This isn’t over.” Nick said and Greg nodded. “Well, for tonight it is. You get rid of the shirt, I’ll take the hose to the sidewalk and lawn.” Greg said and fist bumped Nick.

“Damn lucky we’re the good guys.” Nick said and laughed.

 

 


End file.
